Macmillan English Dictionary - Workshop

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ardor 66 argyle ...........................................................................................................................................

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ardor / "A;(r)d@(r) / the American spelling of ardour ardour / "A;(r)d@(r) / noun [ U ] 1 very strong feelings of admiration or determination = LOVE : He carried out the task with ardour. 2 literary very strong feelings of love arduous / "A;(r)dju@s / adj extremely difficult and involving a lot of effort : an arduous task o The journey was long and arduous. — arduously adv are1 / weak @(r), strong A;(r) / see be are2 / A;(r), e@(r) / noun [ C ] a unit for measuring area in the METRIC SYSTEM. One are is equal to 100 square metres. area / "e@ri@ / noun ###

1 subject/activity 2 part of town/building 3 part of surface

4 size of surface 5 in football

1 [ C ] a particular subject, type of activity etc : Mathematics is a subject which has links with all other curriculum areas. o What is your main area of concern? o His particular area of expertise is engineering. 2 [ C ] a part of a city, town, country etc : Bus services in rural areas are not very good. o I went on a tour of Vancouver and the surrounding area. o +of My family has lived in this area of England for years. 2a. a part of a building, space etc used for a particular purpose : You can park only in designated areas (=places available for this purpose). o Visitors should wait in the reception area. 3 [ C ] a place on the surface of something such as a part of your body : Be sure to apply sunblock to sensitive areas of your skin. 4 area or surface area [ C / U ] MATHS the amount of space that the surface of a place or shape covers. Area is expressed in square units, such as square kilometres or square miles : The surface area of the screen should be at least one square metre. 5 the area [singular] the PENALTY AREA on a football field : He scored from the edge of the area. "area %code noun [ C ] a DIALLING CODE arena / @"ri;n@ / noun [ C ] # 1 a large area that is surrounded by seats, used for sports or entertainment : a circus arena 2 the people and activities involved with a particular subject or activity : Today, businesses must be able to compete in the international arena. o Publishers must move into the electronic arena. aren’t / A;(r)nt / short form 1 the usual way of saying or writing ‘are not’. This is not often used in formal writing. : We aren’t going to Spain this year. 2 the usual way of saying or writing ‘am not’ in questions : I’m looking thinner, aren’t I? Argentine / "A;(r)dZ@ntaIn / adj see Nationalities table Argentinian / %A;(r)dZ@n"tIni@n / noun [ C ] see Nationalities table argon / "A;(r)gQn / noun [ U ] CHEMISTRY a gas that is in the air and that does not produce a chemical reaction when mixed with other substances. It is sometimes used in electric lights. argot / "A;(r)g@U, "A;(r)g@t / noun [ C / U ] words that are used by a particular group of people = JARGON : military argot arguable / "A;(r)gju@b(@)l / adj 1 if something is arguable, you are not completely certain whether it is true or correct : Whether good students make good teachers is arguable. 2 formal if a fact or statement is arguable, there is evidence that it is true or that people agree with it : The judge held that there was an arguable case of libel. arguably / "A;(r)gju@bli / adv # used for stating your opinion or belief, especially when you think other people may disagree : This is arguably the best club in town.

argue / "A;(r)gju / verb ###

1 [ I ] if people argue, they speak to each other in an angry way because they disagree = QUARREL : Those girls are always arguing! o +with Don’t argue with me – you know I’m right. o +about/over We used to argue over who should drive. 1a. [ I / T ] to discuss something with someone who has a different opinion from you : The programme gives people a chance to argue their ideas. o +about/over They are still arguing over the details of the contract.

2 [ I / T ] to give reasons why you believe that something is right or true : Successful economies, she argues, are those with the lowest taxes. o +for/against Woolf’s report argued for (=supported) an improvement in prison conditions. o +that Reuben opposed the new road, arguing that it wasn’t worth spending $25 million to cut seven minutes off drivers’ journey times. o Several people stood up to argue against (=say they do not support) moving the students to the new school. Collocation Adverbs frequently used with argue 2 䡲 consistently, convincingly, forcefully, passionately, persuasively, plausibly, strongly PHRASE argue sb into/out of (doing) sth British to persuade someone to do/not to do something : I’ve managed to argue him out of going to the match. 2 TOSS

argue

argument / "A;(r)gjUm@nt / noun ###

1 [ C ] an angry disagreement between people = QUARREL : a heated argument (=extremely angry disagreement) o

without an argument They won’t accept higher prices without an argument. o have an argument (with sb) I’ve had an argument with my girlfriend. o get into an argument (with sb) Every time we visit my family, he gets into an argument with my sister. o +about/over I try to avoid arguments about money. 1a. a discussion or debate between people with different views, opinions etc : win/lose an argument We can win this argument if we present the facts clearly. o +about/over The party is involved in an argument over economic policy.

2 [ C / U ] a reason or set of reasons that you use for persuading other people to support your views, opinions etc : The Court of Appeal rejected her arguments. o His main argument is stated in the opening chapter. o +for/against There are powerful arguments against releasing them from prison. o You could make an argument for working shorter hours.

Metaphor An argument is like a fight or war, with people attacking each other’s opinions and defending their own. She tried to defend herself against his attacks on her ideas. o She shot down his argument. o That is an indefensible point of view. o I decided to pursue another line of attack. o We had a big fight last night, and I went home early. o There was a lot of conflict over what to do next. o They clashed over who to appoint. o It was a real battle of wits. o We did battle with the council about the plans. o I’ve crossed swords with them before. o Tom is always the first to leap to her defence. ANGRY, CRITICIZE, IDEA

argumentative

/ %A;(r)gjU"ment@tIv / adj showing disapproval someone who is argumentative often argues or disagrees with people argy-bargy / %A;(r)dZi "bA;(r)dZi / noun [ U ] British informal noisy arguments argyle / A;(r)"gaIl / noun [ C / U ] a pattern on clothing such as socks or JUMPERS, consisting of different coloured DIAMOND shapes

Unique boxes show how many familiar words and phrases have metaphorical meanings


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